The new Chess has some rules that seem quite out there, at first. But that might be because it’s hard to imagine Chess changing. My first time playing Chess 2, I had to come to grips with the Halfline Invasion rule. If a player brings their king beyond the halfway mark, it’s an instant win. Sound easy? It’s actually a self-balancing rule. The closer you move to the halfway point, the more likely squares are to be in check — both because it’s closer to enemy pieces, and because your opponent can see you doing it. And as the match goes on, and pieces are eliminated, the Halfline Invasion becomes easier — reducing stalemates.

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Each army has strengths and weaknesses. The Reaper army has a queen that can teleport almost anywhere to capture pieces, but the similarly teleporting rooks can’t capture anything. The Animals army features a bishop that returns to its origin point after attacking, and rooks that trample across anything in a three-square line (including allies). The Nemesis army has a queen that can’t be captured but can’t capture, and pawns that can always move one square closer to the king.

They all have a function. While the Nemesis army excels at putting kings in checkmate, the Reaper army is purpose-built for a Halfline Invasion. If there were any feature that critics would point at to say the game goes “too far”, this is it — but like every other element of Chess 2, I slowly came around to the game’s way of thinking. Army asymmetry means at times, you’re playing different games. And additional strategy comes from making someone play your game.

That actually sounds kind of compelling. I wonder whether the different sorts of armies are properly balanced, which is always a tricky thing to achieve when you start introducing increasing levels of customization.